Updated June 12, 2023
Difference Between JSP and PHP
JSP is a server-side programming technology that helps in creating dynamic web pages. It enables the platform-independent method for building web-based applications. JSP uses the Java programming language, combined with HTML syntax. JSP is an abstraction of Servlets, which is based on the Java programming language. PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development, originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994. It is also used as a general-purpose programming language. PHP code can be integrated into the HTML code, or it can also be utilized in web CMS (Content Management System) and several web frameworks.
What is JSP?
- JSP can be viewed as a high-level abstraction of Java Servlets. JSPs are translated into Servlets at runtime; thus, every JSP can be called a Servlet in disguise. JSPs have access to the entire family of Java APIs, meaning JSP can do anything that a Servlet can perform.
- JSP provides a mechanism that provides a way of developing web pages that support dynamic content. This would enable developers to insert Java code into HTML pages by using special tags and standard actions. Not just special tags can help a developer write the program, but a developer can also create custom tags built on custom logic.
- Thus, JSPs are very flexible when it comes to performing logical flows. Using JSP, a developer can collect input from users through web page forms, present records from a database, and create a page dynamically. JSP tags can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from retrieving information from a database or registering user preferences to accessing JavaBeans components. JSPs also provide functionality like sharing information between requests, pages, etc. JSPs are always compiled before they are processed by the server, which includes various phases like translation and compilation.
What is PHP?
- PHP started its journey as a small open source project which has eventually evolved over the years. It can be efficiently utilized to manage dynamic content, session tracking, and building e-commerce websites. There are lots of popular databases, which can be integrated efficiently with PHP code. Its code is usually processed by a PHP interpreter, which is implemented as a module in the webserver.
- The web server combines the results of interpreted and executed PHP code, which could be of any type, including images. PHP is smugly zippy in its execution. Its execution works even smoother when compiled as an Apache module on the Unix side. PHP also supports a considerable number of major protocols such as POP3, IMAP, and LDAP.
- Added support for Java and distributed object architectures makes multiple tier development a reality for the first time in the PHP ecosystem. PHP includes lots of free and open-source libraries in its source distribution. It’s basically an internet-aware system with built-in modules for accessing FTP servers and many database servers. There are various functions familiar to C programmers, like in the “stdio” family, which are available in standard PHP builds.
Head To Head Comparison Between JSP and PHP (Infographics)
Below is the top 8 difference between JSP VS PHP
Key differences between JSP and PHP
Both are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major difference:
- JSP is a server-side programming technology, whereas PHP is a server-side scripting language.
- Products written in JSPs can be debugged by editors, whereas PHP has a print statement to debug code.
- JSP is an abstraction of the Java class, so it can be garbage collected, whereas PHP does not support garbage collection.
- JSP execution requires a servlet container like Tomcat since it is a servlet in disguise, whereas PHP can run on its own as a CGI engine.
- JSP support for APIs is very huge since it’s based on Java programming language, whereas PHP has limited access to APIs.
- JSP execution requires more time since it is translated into Servlet, compiled and executed, whereas PHP execution requires less time than JSP.
- JSP code is compiled first; thus, bugs can be identified in the early stages of its creation, whereas PHP has no such option of letting the developer know about bad code in a pre-compiled stage.
- Mastering JSP requires knowledge of Java and HTML syntax, whereas PHP being a scripting language, is easier to learn and understand.
- JSP supports object caching with its extensive support for APIs, whereas PHP does not support caching.
- JSPs are very good at maintaining user sessions, whereas PHP destroys the user’s sessions every time.
JSP vs PHP Comparison Table
The primary Comparison is discussed below:
| The basis of comparison |
JSP |
PHP |
| Type | Server-side programming technology | Server-side scripting language created by Rasmus Lerdorf |
| Support | Web applications with dynamic content | Small to medium-sized web solutions |
| Libraries | Access to Java APIs | fewer libraries than JSP |
| Tags | JSP allows to define custom tags | PHP won’t allow custom tags |
| Hosting | JSP hosting is not much costly than PHP | PHP hosting is extraordinarily cheap |
| Multithreading | Natural to JSPs since they are converted to Java classes | Way less natural than JSP |
| Execution | Require Servlet container like Tomcat | Run-on its own as a CGI engine |
| Coding | JSP requires more and complex code | PHP is simple and requires fewer lines of code |
Conclusion
PHP is an open-source scripting system that is very similar to JSP. PHP defines its own scripting language, which looks a lot like Perl language, whereas JSP uses Java as a scripting language. The PHP code is less complex to achieve certain functionality as compare to JSP. JSPs run inside the Java ecosystem since they are translated into a servlet, compiled and executed under JVM. While both JSP vs PHP is server-side scripting, popular and efficient to code server-side logic, JSP outperformed PHP in many e-commerce and banking applications.
JSP provides a similar programming style to PHP. It is based on Java Servlets and requires a Tomcat like a container for backend processing; in contrast, PHP can run on its own as a CGI engine or as an integrated module in many web servers. PHP is more easily deployable on non-Java infrastructure, whereas JSPs are a more natural fit for the Java ecosystem. Both have their own USPs. It is the project that a developer is working on, and his skills should be the parameter, which language to be used. Benefits offered by JSPs are, however, more favorable in the Java ecosystem. PHP is a scripting language on its own has its own ecosystem. The contrast between both is pretty visible. It all depends on the programmer’s skill level and project requirement in terms of features like scalability, robustness, concurrency, etc.
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